Connecticut HB 5258: AN ACT CONCERNING THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE RECEIVERSHIP ACT.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5258
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING TENANT ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 47a-1 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 1
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 2
October 1, 2026): 3
As used in this chapter, sections 47a-21, 47a-23 to 47a-23c, inclusive, 4
47a-26a to 47a-26g, inclusive, 47a-35 to 47a-35b, inclusive, 47a-41a, 47a-5
43 and 47a-46 and section 2 of this act: 6
(1) "Action" includes recoupment, counterclaim, set-off, cause of 7
action and any other proceeding in which rights are determined, 8
including an action for possession. 9
(2) "Building and housing codes" include any law, ordinance or 10
governmental regulation concerning fitness for habitation or the 11
construction, maintenance, operation, occupancy, use or appearance of 12
any premises or dwelling unit. 13
(3) "Dwelling unit" means any house or building, or portion thereof, 14
which is occupied, is designed to be occupied, or is rented, leased or 15
hired out to be occupied, as a home or residence of one or more persons. 16
(4) "Landlord" means the owner, lessor or sublessor of the dwelling 17

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unit, the building of which it is a part or the premises. 18
(5) "Owner" means one or more persons, jointly or severally, in whom 19
is vested (A) all or part of the legal title to property, or (B) all or part of 20
the beneficial ownership and a right to present use and enjoyment of the 21
premises and includes a mortgagee in possession. 22
(6) "Person" means an individual, corporation, limited liability 23
company, the state or any political subdivision thereof, or agency, 24
business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, two or more 25
persons having a joint or common interest, and any other legal or 26
commercial entity. 27
(7) "Premises" means a dwelling unit and the structure of which it is 28
a part and facilities and appurtenances therein and grounds, areas and 29
facilities held out for the use of tenants generally or whose use is 30
promised to the tenant. 31
(8) "Rent" means all periodic payments to be made to the landlord 32
under the rental agreement. 33
(9) "Rental agreement" means all agreements, written or oral, and 34
valid rules and regulations adopted under section 47a-9 or subsection 35
(d) of section 21-70 embodying the terms and conditions concerning the 36
use and occupancy of a dwelling unit or premises. 37
(10) "Roomer" means a person occupying a dwelling unit, which unit 38
does not include a refrigerator, stove, kitchen sink, toilet and shower or 39
bathtub and one or more of these facilities are used in common by other 40
occupants in the structure. 41
(11) "Single-family residence" means a structure maintained and used 42
as a single dwelling unit. Notwithstanding that a dwelling unit shares 43
one or more walls with another dwelling unit or has a common parking 44
facility, it is a single-family residence if it has direct access to a street or 45
thoroughfare and does not share heating facilities, hot water equipment 46
or any other essential facility or service with any other dwelling unit. 47

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(12) "Tenant" means the lessee, sublessee or person entitled under a 48
rental agreement to occupy a dwelling unit or premises to the exclusion 49
of others or as is otherwise defined by law. 50
(13) "Tenement house" means any house or building, or portion 51
thereof, which is rented, leased or hired out to be occupied, or is 52
arranged or designed to be occupied, or is occupied, as the home or 53
residence of three or more families, living independently of each other, 54
and doing their cooking upon the premises, and having a common right 55
in the halls, stairways or yards. 56
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 57
(1) "Tenant organizer" means an individual who (A) assists tenants in 58
establishing and operating a tenant organization or in organizing 59
tenants to address the affairs of such dwelling unit or other dwelling 60
units owned or managed by the owner of the dwelling unit or the 61
owner's agents, and (B) is not an employee or agent of such dwelling 62
unit's current or prospective owners, managers or agents. 63
(2) "Tenant organization" means an organization that (A) is 64
established by tenants of a dwelling unit or of multiple dwelling units 65
owned or managed by the same owner or owner's agent; (B) is 66
established for the purpose of addressing issues related to the tenants' 67
living environment, including the terms and conditions of their tenancy 68
as well as activities related to housing and community development; (C) 69
meets regularly; and (D) operates independently from the authority of 70
the owner of such dwelling units and the owner's agents. 71
(b) An owner of any dwelling u